1. Field of the Invention
A bridge connector connects includes a pair of parallel bridge contacts that extend through contact openings contained in a pair of insulated housings for electrical engagement with bus bars mounted therein, respectively. A locking device is arranged in at least one of the housing chambers for automatic locking engagement with the associated bridge contact, thereby to retain the bridge contact in the housing chamber in engagement with the associated bus bar. A release member is mounted on the bridge member for displacement from a retracted position toward an operable extended position in which the release member unlocks the locking device from the bridge contact, thereby to permit removal of the bridge connector from the housings.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is well known in the prior art to connect a pair of bus bars contained in housings by a bridge connector having a pair of bridge contacts in engagement with the bus bars, respectively, which bridge contacts are joined by a transverse connecting portion. The housings are formed of electrical insulating material and may include electrical devices, such as panel boxes, power distribution circuits, and the like.
Generally, the contacts of the bridge connector are parallel and extend through contact openings contained in the housings for engagement with the bus bars contained therein, respectively. In order to securely retain the bridge contacts in the housing chambers in engagement with the bus bars, it has been proposed to provide automatic one-way locking devices in the form of leaf springs, for example, which leaf springs have leg portions that terminate in edges that dig into the outer periphery of the bridge contacts, whereby it is impossible to withdraw the contacts from the housing without destroying the bridge contact assembly. Thus, the direct plug-in technique of the known devices does not require any tool for assembling the bridge connector in a permanent manner. However, owing to the manner in which the leaf springs dig into the bridge contacts, the leaf springs must be disengaged from the bridge contacts by a release tool, such as a screwdriver or the like, thereby to permit removal of the bridge contact from the housing chamber in which the bus bar is mounted.
Naturally, such a disassembly procedure is difficult, awkward and inefficient. Furthermore, since the bridge contacts are relatively long and generally have the same length, the locking means for the two legs of the bridge connector must be disengaged simultaneously, so that the bridge connector may be removed in a steady, even manner. This simultaneous unlocking procedure presents a major problem for disassembly of the contacts, thereby further increasing the cost and difficulty of removing the bridge connector from the bus bar housings.
To solve this problem, it is proposed by the present invention to provide on the bridge connector body a permanently mounted release member that is displaceable from an inoperable retracted position toward an operable extended position in which it releases the locking member from the associated bridge contact.